Kurdish National Council Visit to Washington (Taken Question)

Question: What can you tell us about a delegation from the Syrian-Kurdish National Council who are in Washington all week? Who are they meeting with? Who exactly is coming as part of that delegation?

Answer: On May 8, Ambassadors Robert Ford and Frederic Hof met with a delegation from the Syrian Kurdish National Council (KNC) at the State Department. They discussed the Syrian revolution, specifically how the KNC along with the other Syrian opposition groups can help with Syria’s transition to democracy. Ambassadors Ford and Hof reiterated strong support for the respect of all Syrians’ basic human rights and underlined the need for a political transition to move forward in a way that will reassure all elements of Syrian society that they will have their place in a new Syria.

The KNC also participated in a roundtable discussion with other bureaus in the State Department, including the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. They are scheduled to meet with Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Feltman later this week, and we also understand that they plan to meet with members of Congress.

These meetings are part of our effort to reach out to a wide array of Syrian opposition groups. This is the first official visit of the KNC to Washington and we hope more will follow.

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